Dawn Patrol: Legionella in Batavia; sex assault in St. Charles
Traces of Legionella bacteria found at 3 Batavia schools
Legionella bacteria have been found in the water at three schools in Batavia District 101, but it is not likely to cause illness, according to a note to parents issued by the district. Superintendent Jack Barshinger told parents that “proactive water quality analyses” detected traces of the bacteria that cause Legionnaire’s disease at Alice Gustafson Elementary School/Early Childhood Center, Batavia High School and Hoover-Wood Elementary School. Full story.
Australian man accused of sexual assault in St. Charles
Bail was set at $500,000 Thursday for an Australian man charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a dormitory room at the Q Center executive conference facility in St. Charles. Jefry Sutjito, 24, of King Street in Melbourne, Australia, was required to surrender his passport. He faces felony counts of sexual assault after he was accused of assaulting a 22-year-old woman during a four-week training class, police said. Full story.
Attorney: Accused Elgin hoarder never hurt animals
A 60-year-old Elgin man accused of animal cruelty after 43 dead and decaying cats, birds, squirrels and other animals were found in a van outside his rented home last week loves his pets and has never harmed any of them, his attorney said Thursday. William Tinkler, of the 200 block of Villa Street, appeared in Elgin branch court Thursday where prosecutors got a court order to allow Elgin animal control officers to set traps in and around the home. Full story.
Round Lake school officials accused of strip-searching student
Round Lake school officials unlawfully forced a middle school student to submit to a strip search in April because administrators believed he was hiding marijuana somewhere on his body, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court. The mother of the unidentified 13-year-old is suing Round Lake Unit District 116 for more than $1 million in damages. School officials said they were waiting to be served with the lawsuit before commenting. Full story.
Dog badly injured in second Wheaton coyote attack
Another small dog is recovering from severe injuries after a coyote attack, the second in a week near Wheaton. Linda Arigi said she was traveling out of state when she received an urgent call from her housesitter and Wheaton College student Megan Wilt. Full story.
Weather
Cloudy and cool with a temperature of only 45 degrees this morning. High temperatures are expected to reach 54 degrees this afternoon, before it dips back to 39 degrees overnight tonight. Full story.
Traffic
Reconstruction and widening continues at Walkup Road from just south of route 176 to Burning Bush Trail in Crystal Lake. The construction lasts until November of 2012. More traffic.
Ex-Stevenson player emerges as a top Big Ten rusher
Six months ago, football fans at the University of Iowa barely knew of Mark Weisman, a sophomore out of Stevenson who was happy simply to have a spot with the scout team. Now, Weisman is a big name and a favorite at Kinnick Stadium on Saturdays, drawing cheers he could have never imagined. “Since my name rhymes with Heisman, the fans will chant ‘Weisman for Heisman,’” Weisman said with a laugh. Full story.
Bears vow to not make same mistake
The Bears won’t just be battling the Jaguars on Sunday at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. They’ll battle to make sure they do not have a let down like they did against the Green Bay Packers after beating up the Indianapolis Colts the first week of the season. If they look hard at the numbers, they’ll also have to struggle to avoid looking past what has been one of the NFL’s worst teams, especially on offense, for two years running. The Jaguars are 1-3 and dead-last offensively in yards, points and average gain per pass. Full story.